1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to equipment used during the game of golf. More particularly, this invention pertains to a golf tee that is combined with a closure for beverage drinks. The golf tee may be embedded into the actual cap of a beverage or may be separable and easily detached for use.
2. Background Art
Golf is one of the few ball games that do not require a standardized playing area. The game is played on a course with an arranged progression of either nine or 18 holes. Each hole on the course must contain a tee box to start from, and a putting green containing the actual hole. There are other standard forms of terrain in between, such as the fairway, rough, and hazards, but each hole on a course is unique in its specific layout and arrangement.
The game of golf most commonly requires three essential elements to play the game. These include a set of clubs, a golf ball and a tee that allows a player to hold the ball in position, off the ground, in order to attain a greater strike. Golf tees generally are packaged and sold separately from all other requisites of the game. Golf tees are most commonly made of wood or plastic, including a cup-like top and a tapering body forming a pointed end.
Arguably, beverages are just as essential as the above-mentioned products. Drinks are brought on the golf course for a number of different reasons ranging from entertainment to supporting a healthy body temperature and quenching thirst. What many golfers don't realize is that what, and how much, you drink are actually among the most important decisions you make on the golf course. Your choice can mean the difference between playing with energy, focus, and coordination, or can leave you suffering from fatigue, mood fluctuations and poor motor control. In extremely hot conditions, you can lose as much as two liters of water per hour. If those fluids are not replaced, the body becomes dehydrated, affecting virtually every system of your body. Your heart has to work harder, your muscles lose strength and flexibility, your brain function slows and you can experience cramping or dizziness, and even develop heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Beverages are consumed from a variety of different bottle shapes and sizes, preferably made of recyclable material to allow for easy clean up and potential environmental benefits.
What is not shown in the prior art heretofore known and what is needed in the field is a product that allows a consumer to purchase a single product with multiple essential requisites for golfers. The combination of a beverage container with a golf tee that allows immediate use of both products has not been previously available. Frequently, golfers forget to bring golf tees to the course due to their small demeanor. Further, no product in the market allows for a functional golfer's tool that is simultaneously sanitary and can be submerged in a liquid. Previous inventions allow for combinations of beverage caps with products that are associated with consumption or that are interrelated in some aspect with drinking. No previous products relate to the field of the endeavor or aim to solve the same problem of allowing simultaneous access to a golf related product through a beverage cap or closure.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,122,357 published Feb. 25, 1964, entitled “Combined closure and mixer or stirrer” describes and illustrates a closure connected to a mixing device or stick. The device described therein has a stick including a ball shaped element or member embedded into the stopper. The closure is removed and the device is used for stirring or mixing drinks. Another embodiment includes a holder, rather than a member embedded into the stopper, which is interposed between the top section and upper edge of the neck. The holder includes a well section with an opening. Lastly, a short stub section may remain attached to the closure, so that the mixer can be broken off and used as a mixing stick for stirring or mixing drinks.
The structure disclosed above suffers from one or more disadvantages, for example, not having a concave head portion for placement of a golf ball or a connection between the closure and pointed tip. The present invention is intended to provide a combined beverage closure and golf tee using a novel structure solving many of the above noted problems.